French Authorities Face New Test Tomorrow

There is a principle that French presidents follow, which dictates refraining from discussing France’s internal affairs at press conferences held outside the country’s borders. President Emmanuel Macron has respected this convention on multiple occasions. However, he broke with this tradition during a press conference in Doha, at the end of a state visit to Qatar, where he spoke at length about the unrest, violence, and looting that afflicted major French cities last Saturday, some of which recurred the following day, as in Paris.

Because the image France projected to the world regarding its situation was catastrophic, and because Macron wanted to send a message both domestically and internationally that the situation would not spiral out of control again and that a firm hand would strike those who break the law, he answered all the questions posed to him. He confirmed that he had handed the government a “roadmap” before beginning his trip to the Gulf, which is currently being implemented.

However, the French president did not stop there. He made sure to respond forcefully to external comments targeting his country. Addressing the US and Russian presidents and the Israeli prime minister without naming them, he attacked those exploiting the events to spread false news, rumors, and AI-generated videos. Macron accused these individuals of making “unacceptable and stupid comments,” adding, “There are people who launch campaigns against France, and leaders who live in an election campaign atmosphere in the region or on the other side of the Atlantic, who sometimes, out of naivety, repeat what is generated by artificial intelligence or convey what certain parties naturally seek to make people believe.”

Calm has returned to the streets and squares of French cities after authorities imposed curfews in “sensitive” neighborhoods. The judicial system is also operating at full capacity across all of France to punish those involved in riots, looting, and attacks on public and private property, responding to Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin’s call for a firm crackdown on the destroyers.

Nevertheless, this calm does not mean that matters have returned to normal; the fire still smolders beneath the ashes. The “Yellow Vests” movement has called for a “second phase” of the protests through a large march next Saturday and the following day in Paris, to express their opposition to the soaring prices of petroleum derivatives, the high cost of living, and the collapse of purchasing power among the most vulnerable classes.

Student groups have joined them so far, reviving the slogans raised since the movement began more than a month ago. These include demands for increased investment in secondary education, providing substitute teachers for absent ones, improving the financial condition of schools, and abolishing the mechanism for directing students to available university majors.

Additionally, Sophie Binet, the general secretary of the “Confederation of Labor” union, which is close to the Communist Party, has called for open strikes starting on November 5. Binet stated after a meeting of unions with Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu that the latter had “not proposed any concrete initiative” in response to the demands of workers and students, and therefore it is necessary to move toward a “new path,” namely, open strikes.